...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

The other day, in a discussion with another believer, I mentioned that conservatism is growing in America. However, there was something that bothered me about this movement. I said, "A conservative movement will not save this nation, if it's not accompanied by a Spiritual revival that can only come through humility and repentance."

He told me he'd never thought about it, but what I told him was true. You see, whether the ideals that make up conservatism are good or not good makes no difference to God. He's not about conservatism. He is about His Son Jesus. He is about brokenness, humility and revival. And what I see today, and I hope I am wrong, does not appear to be brokenness and humility.

For a revival without the Spirit will not succeed. It looks good. It sounds good, but in the end, God will not honor revival without the Spirit. Thus, if God's heavy hand is on this land, it will remain on it until we humble ourselves before Him and cry out for His salvation.

Saving our freedom. Saving our liberty. Saving our way of life. Making sure we have a job are not God's first priorities. This nation needs a heart change. And it cannot have a heart change without revival and without God's Spirit breaking out across land.

Listen, I am excited about what's going on. People who have never been engaged in the political process are on fire right now, because they see what could be the end of America as we know it. Well, I don't want to see the end of our country, but look at it from God's perspective. He gave us this land. He established us as the free nation. He gave us favor. He made us the head and not the tail. He gave us the power, might and will to defend our freedom and to free other nations around the world. He did this, because our nation honored Him. Our nation welcomed Jesus in our schools. The people knew God's Word. Not every American was a Christian, but they knew about Christ and they lived by a code of ethics that mirrored Christ's teachings and God's Law.

But what has happened? I saw a movie called the "Time Changers." The point of this movie was this: "Goodness and truth without the Son was and is unattainable. A nation cannot follow God's Laws and Christ's teachings without following the Son. Thus, you cannot separate Christ's teachings from the person of Jesus Christ. Because without the Spirit to hold each individual accountable, eventually, the teachings will fade and a nation will lose sight of God's Laws and His Son's teachings. Eventually, the people will end up rejecting Christ and everything else
that pertains to God and His Son Jesus.

This is the danger of having revival without the Spirit. Yes, conservatism can rise from the ashes, but it won't save the day. For the other side will see no reason to accept conservative ideals. They only see conservatives as the enemy, an enemy that does not deserve a seat at the table.

Benjamin Franklin, in 1771, reminded the Constitutional Convention this nation must follow God. Quoting scripture Franklin reminded those attending the 1771 Convention, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain."

If we are to be effective in restoring a nation, we cannot do it without God. God must be at the center of this movement. If it's about anger and fear of losing what we have had and that is all it is, then the movement will fail. Unfortunately for us, God has allowed many great nations to fall. God builds great nations and He allows them to die.

Nations serve His purpose and when they become corrupt, He removes their greatness. Trust me, I know many who are involved in the conservative movement are Godly. But the question is this, what is their motivation? Is it to save our way of life? Or is it to honor God by beating back those who would displace God and have us worship them, rather than our Lord? Is this movement about humbling ourselves and telling others about Christ or is it about our financial pocketbooks and our freedom to continue to do as we please?

You see, real revival needs to take place believers first. Studies show there is not much difference between believers and non-believers when it comes to social ills. Our sins are as great as those in the secular world. In other words, if there is going to be revival, it must first start with God's family. We must be willing to humble ourselves and repent before the Lord. And as we do, I believe we could see a Spiritual revival so strong, even those in Congress would quake in their shoes.

I don't know if this kind of revival is possible today. My reason for saying this has to do with the times. If we are near the end, where Jesus is about to make His return, then the Lord may not be open to revival, because it's been my thought that as long as America remains strong and free, the anti-Christ will find it difficult to create a One World Government. However, with America weakened and out of the way, the opportunity for a world takeover exists and the odds are in its favor, because there will be no one left to fight for freedom.

This is why it is so vitally important that we, as Christians, begin to seek our Lord. We must humble ourselves before Him and cry out to Him. Repentance must flow from our heart, as we seek to allow God to change us and mold us into His Son's image. Yes, a Christ-centered movement is powerful. Even the gates of hell cannot prevail against this force. However, a movement for movement's sake, will not make much of a difference. It will only serve to anger an enemy already emboldened by our weakness and their insatiable need for power.

This past year, I spent about fourteen months in repentance. I prayed and wept before the Lord, as one former sin after another surfaced in my mind. Yes, God covered my sins, through His Son's blood, but I needed to deal with them. I needed to let them go. I needed to let God know, I hated what I did. By doing this, I was able to forgive myself and accept God's unmerited love.
We had better be ready. We do not want to be ashamed when He returns. If we want to change this nation and prepare ourselves for the rest of our lives, then it's time to seek the Lord with our whole hearts.

I recently read about a 600 member church in England. The authorities wanted them to worship in silence, so no one outside the church could hear them. How ridiculous you say. It's not. Persecution is everywhere. Now, they, the church, won their case this time. But what about the next lawsuit and the next one?

The world believes they have Christians on the run. Do they? Have we failed to walk in God's power, through His Holy Spirit? Have we taken what God has given us for granted? I pray everyone within the sound of that 600 member church in England, who hears the message or the sounds coming from the church, will be so convicted they would fall to their knees and cry out to the God.

Listen, England used to be on fire for the Lord. Great revivals took place around most of Europe. Now, Christian churches resemble ghost towns. Empty relics from days gone by. Whose fault is it? It's our fault? Christians forgot to shine their light. We became secularized. And now, we're paying the price.

This is why I say a conservative movement without Christ, will fail. Any lasting movement must be about Christ. It must be about His kingdom and His glory. Our Founding Fathers knew if God did not build the house, it could not be sustained. Our nation must remember its motto, "In God We Trust." We should never back down, because of our faith. We should never apologize or compromise. We should never compromise with the world. Let the world see its sins. Let the worldly back away and hide under the rocks. We should bring forth the light and stand tall, affirming our faith without apology to all who will listen to the Gospel message which is the true "hope and change" for all humanity.

Washington said two pillars hold up this nation, religion (Christianity) and morality (God's Law). If you remove either one or both of these we will cease to be a great nation.

I am thankful people understand what's at stake and they are now awake. However, let it be a true awakening. Let it be one that will once again declare Christ and Christ alone as the only answer to humanity's deepest needs and the only answer to saving this nation.

More on the 1771 Constitution Convention: http://saferschools.org/pdfs/FRANKLIN2.PDF

From GodFire.org . If you are interested, I am preparing a multi-part series titled, "God's Judgment on Nations." Based on Biblical history, this series reminds us what happens to nations that turn from God and follow after other gods or human leaders.

The series is free and you are encouraged to email it to friends.

The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright and Usage Information, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered requires the permission of International Bible Society.

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